Apple Cinnamon Granola

Apple Cinnamon Granola is packed with spices, so your home will smell amazing while the granola is baking! And there’s a secret ingredient… Can you guess what it is? Scroll down to the recipe to find out!

During the winter, nothing beats the combination of apple and cinnamon flavors. The sweet apples are perfectly in season and the warm cinnamon just soothes you from the inside out. Actually, I even love adding cinnamon into my morning coffee – I use less sugar in my coffee and the spice gives it amazing flavor.

So when coming up with recipes for granola, an apple cinnamon granola had to happen! You might think that the ingredients in this recipe are a bit “obscure” like my best friend called them when I texted her the recipe, but they’re pantry essentials that I think everyone should have, so take a look at the list below and stock up on them!

But before this list – can I tell you about my love for freeze dried fruit?! Recently I received some samples from Crunchies and oh…my…goodness. Freeze dried fruit is hands down my favorite mid-day snack – no sugars added, no preservatives, no nothing but just fresh fruit directly from farmers. That’s what I added to this granola – so make sure to grab a couple bags of these cinnamon apples!

Before the list though, let’s chat about the one secret ingredient in this granola recipe: boiled cider. If you’ve never heard of boiled cider, you need to make sure you get a bottle as soon as possible. A New England tradition, it’s exactly what the name suggest: apple cider that’s been boiled down to a sticky, sweet, tart syrup. It adds that extra layer of apple flavor to all your baked goods: muffins, cupcakes, breads, and granola included! You can purchase boiled cider on the King Arthur Flour website. Now, for the rest of my pantry essentials:

“Rolled oats: whether you’re adding them to cookies or your morning smoothie, oatmeal is a nutritional powerhouse for dietary fiber and protein, making it a great addition to your daily meals.

Flax Seed Meal: oh flax seeds, you’re so tiny yet so amazing. Bob’s Red Mill explains its health benefits best: “Omega-3 essential fatty acids are “good” fats that have been shown to have heart-healthy effects. Each tablespoon of ground flaxseed contains about 1.8 grams of plant omega-3s. Lignans have both plant estrogen and antioxidant qualities. Flaxseed contains 75 to 80 times more lignans than other plant foods. Flaxseed Meal is high in dietary fiber containing both the soluble and insoluble types. It’s also a powerful natural cholesterol controller.”

Apple Pie Spice: you can easily blend up cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice and create your own, but sometimes I only have cinnamon at home so having this spice blend tucked in my pantry adds that extra amount of spice I need!

Coconut Oil: there are currently four jars of coconut oil in my pantry – I’m that addicted. I’ll probably write a post soon about all the ways I use it, but this time, it’s a great healthy oil to add to my baked goods and the only one I cook with! Brands like Coco Joy, Nutiva, and SoloCoco are some of my favorites.

p.s. None of these links are sponsored – these are products that I actually have in my pantry and use on a weekly if not daily basis!

Here’s the recipe, so now you can make your own apple cinnamon granola!